Improvement in railway-switches



G'. H. SOULR Railway-Switch'.

No, 210,216.4 Paire-med Nov.26 ,187s.

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Ulrrrnn 4STATES:- PATENT Ferca.

GEORGE H. SOULE, OF BANGOR, MAINE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TOCLARK SOULE.

IMPROVEMENT vIN RAILWAY-SWITCHES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,216, dated November26, 1878; application filed May 27, 1878.

To aZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. SOULE, of Bangor, in the county ofPenobscot and State of Maine, have invented an Improvement inRailroad-Switches, of which the following is a specification Thisinvention relates to railroad-switches of the class operatedautomatically by the train.

The invention consists, primarily, in the combination, withswitch-points and a rocker- 'shaft to move them, of an auxiliary leverand a governor therefor to automatically move and retain the auxiliarylever in such position with relation to the safety-lever as to insurethe continuance of the cars upon the main line, such governor andauxiliary lever being adaptled to be moved by hand when it is desiredthat a trainv pass from the main line to a siding. v

Figure l represents, in plan or top view, a sufficient portion of arailway bed and track to illustrate a practical embodiment of myinvention; Fig. 2, a section on the line w x, Fig." l; Fig. 3, a sectionon line t t, (see Fig. ,lbetween they track and auxiliary levers;) Fig.4, a section on lines 2 2; Fig. 5, a section on lines 3 3, and Fig. 6 asection on lines 4 4.

The main track is designated by the letters a, the siding-tracks by b,and the switch-points by c c. The switch-lever eZ, supported in anyusual stand or case, is connected by link e with an ear, 5, of an arm,f, attached to a rock-shaft, g, held in suitable bearings h h. Thisrock-shaft has secured to it a finger, t', which engages a bar, j,connected with, and, as the rock-shaft is moved, shifts, theswitch-points c c to place them in position with reference`- to thetrack a,

`so as to direct the cars upon either themain track or siding.

To place and retain these switch-points automatically in vposition toinsure the retention of the cars on the main track, unless it is desiredto pass them to a siding, I have arranged to operate this rock-shaftautomatically by the passing train. 'To do this I have added to therock-shaft7 at or near its rear end, an arm, k, provided with two ears,(see Fig. 4,) and have connected such ears Withvsafety-lever Z Z,pivoted upon stands m, the outer ends of such l'evers being extendedtoward the tracks a b, so

that the wheel-flanges of a passing car will strike that one of thelevers ZZlvwhich4 happens to be elevated; but it will be observed thatthe ends of the safety-levers next the main ltrack a are alwaysdepressed when the main one entering a slot in the other, the slot al-`lowing the lever and arms to move in different arcs.

At the front end of the rock-shaft, and connected with the ear 7 of thearm j', is the primarycsafety-lever Z2, it extending. toward the maintrack a in advance of the switch-point c, and substantially in line withthe switch-lever cZ,-but, unlike levers Z Z1,l it does not extend soyclose to such track that its end will be struck and depressed by thewheel-hanges vof a passing car. This primary safety-lever is arranged tobe depressed by the car-wheel only through the instrumentality of anauxiliary lever, a, so pivoted at its rear end S as to permit the outerend of the lever to move freely up and down and laterally under theaction of the car-wheels and lever Z2. This lever a is connected by linko with a pivoted lever, p, weighted, as. at g, or otherwise so operatedthrough a spring that the auxiliary lever is held pressed toward thetrack a, but capable of being moved laterally away from such track, asshown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, when acar passes from the siding track bb to the main track a.

A car moving from track b to track a, in the direction of arrow 2, wouldstrike the auxiliary lever nl, and, through safety-lever ZL, rock theshaft g and shift the switch-points into the position shown in dottedlines, insuring the passage of the car upon the main track a, and as thecar-wheels meet lever n they will strike its beveled or rounded frontend and move 'it horizontally and laterally over the surface of theprimary safety-lever, Z27 Without depressing it, and when thepwheel ofthe last car passes such lever, it is automatically thrown, through theaction of the weight, over against the track a.

I denominate the lever 19, weight q, and link o as the governingmechanism77 for the auxiliary lever; but instead of the particulardevices shown I might employ any well-known equivalent to operate by aweight or spring.

If the train should be moved from the main track a in the direction ofarrow 3, Fig. 1, and the switch-points were as in dotted lines, as theywould be left by the train when passing from track b to track a, thenthe auxiliary lever a would be depressed and act upon the primarysafety-lever to oscillate the rock-shaft and automatically shift thepoints c c to the positions shown in full lines, Fig. 1, when the trainwould take the main track.

If it is desired to run the train from the lnain track a back aga-in tothe siding-track b, then the lever p must be moved by hand to throwlever n away from track c, as in dotted lines, and the car-wheels willpass without depressing it and rocking shaft g.

The wheels of a train passing along the main line in the direction ofarrow 2, after the passage of a train from the siding-track b upon themain track a, strike the auxiliary lever n2 and shift the switch-pointsinto correct position to maintain the train upon the main track a. Whenpassing over the main track wheel passes between the other switch-pointand the main track a and locks the switchpoints, so that they cannot beaccidentally shifted. The levers nl n? case the blow of the wheels uponthe levers l l1. The switch-points may be moved by hand through lever d,if desired.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the rock-shaft and switch-points, ofsafety-levers Z Z1, at the rear of the switch-points, and asafety-lever, Z2, and an auxiliary lever, n, in front of theswitchpoints, to automatically change the switchpoints and retain thetrain on the main track, substantially as described.

2. The primary lever l2, connected rockshaft, and switch-points, incombination with the auxiliary lever, arranged in advance of the pointof the switch, and governing mechanism to maintain the auxiliary lever uin position next the main track a, to operate substantially asdescribed.

3. An auxiliary lever, u, for operating the switch-points, adapted to bethrown automatically or otherwise out of and to be automatically broughtinto operative position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. SOULE.

Witnesses:

CHARLES N. lnnsnv, U. A. WrNonEsrnn.

